JAMAICA FACTS
Population: 2.6 million (UN, 2003)
Capital: Kingston
Major language: English
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 74 years (men), 78 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Jamaican dollar = 100 cents
Main exports: Bauxite, aluminium, sugar, bananas, rum
Average annual income: US $2,800 (World Bank, 2001)
Internet domain: .jm
International dialling code: + 1876
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Did you know there are almost the same number of Jamaicans in the diaspora as there are actually living on the island?
In general, islanders and coastal town peoples have always answered the mysterious call of the sea... Jamaicans are by no means an exception. But of course there are contributing factors which speed up the process.
Few can resist the call of Uncle Sam with his proximity and his American dream. Others go to "Mother England" for that coveted "British
education" and others like me, are quite happy to be in a place where the "phenomena" of being a Jamaican is rare enough to never be met with indifference!
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Inside Jamaica, in Mona in Kingston to be exact. You'll find one of the beautiful campuses of the University of the West Indies. The other two campuses are dispersed over the Caribbean. There's one on the island of Trinidad and Tobago and another in Barbados, each specialsing in different fields with a view to facilitating interaction between the different islanders. My campus years were Utopic...
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